Though I was draw to this big city and its big lights later in life, I'm always fascinated by the tales of those who were born here in the shadow of Hollywood. "I, California" is a new book by Stacey Grenrock Woods of THE DAILY SHOW fame about her childhood here in the San Fernando Valley.
The title appears to reference the classic 1970s Robert Graves book "I, Claudius," which later became a television show. An interesting note is that in Graves' book Claudius (a real historical figure) is despised and tormented for being a weakling and dismissed as an idiot beause of his stuttering. Yet, Claudius manages to escape the intrigues and poisonings that marked the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the mad Caligula, to become emperor of Rome in A.D. 41.
Depite possibly taking on such hefty comparisons in her choice of title, Stacy Grenrock Woods didn't exactly get the nicest notice in the L.A. Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-bk-lewis5aug05,1,2764222.story?coll=la-editions-valley). If the book turns out to be as clever as her segments on THE DAILY SHOW, I could be persuaded to spend the money when it comes out in paperback. I'll get back to you after I read the book flap.
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